Paris by it’s Writers

Much of Paris’ romantic patina comes from tales told by writers who have lived here. Balzac in Passy, Proust in the Monceau plain, Colette in the Palais-Royal, Hemingway in Montparnasse, Sartre and Beauvoir in Saint-Germain-des-Prés… A new bilingual book “Paris by it’s Writers,” written by Francoise Besse (published by Parisgramme) describes the lives of twenty Paris legendary authors and how the city is woven into their novels.

The book takes us on a sentimental journey from Hugo to Modiano telling us such things as how Proust lived at 102, Bd Haussmann in an apartment with a cork lined bedroom where he produced most of his work and that the room has been recreated with its furniture at the Musée Carnavalet. Or when Hemingway lived at 113, rue Notre Dame des Champs he hung out at the Closerie des Lilas café where he wrote his early novels such as “The Sun Also Rises.” And we are reminded how in “Les Enfants du Paradis” the actress Arletty sang Jacque Prévert’s memorable lines: “Paris est tout petit pour ceux qui s’aiment comme nous d’un aussi grand amour ” (Paris is tiny for those who love one another like we do with such a great love).

“Paris by it’s Writers,” with an excellent selection of photos and illustrations, not only revisits the lives of some great writers but also the city —which Hemingway called a moveable feast —that inspired them.